Nilsson, Anders G.

Abstract [en]

Standard applications packages are currently used as advanced tools to enhance the business capacity of companies and organisations. They also go by the name of enterprise systems, as they are, increasingly, providing integrated solutions for functions such as management control; human resource management; material flow and sales control. Companies are facing a complex existence, with mixed platforms and multiple IT solutions in their business operations. The use of standard application packages is therefore becoming an increasingly important issue on the management agenda. New investments are made in enterprise systems such as SAP R/3 and Intentia/Movex, in a changing world, where the progress of society is moving towards horizontal organisations, virtual companies and electronic markets. This provides a background for the checklist introduced in this chapter, of 10 critical success factors (CSF) for the use of standard application packages in organisations. Using a checklist like this may be a deciding factor as to whether the package will bring "heaven or hell" to a company